Ladder and step.



P. TIEPOLT. LADDER AND STEP. APPLICATION FILED we. 14, 1907.

- Patented 0013.20, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. TIEPOLT.

LADDER AND STEP. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 14, 1967.

901,755. Patented 0ct.20,1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. TIEPOLT.

LADDER AND STEP. APPLICATION FILED wefu, 1907.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 PAUL T-IEPOLT, OF COLOGNE-LINDENTHAL, GERMANY.

LADDER AND STEP.

Specification Letters l atent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

Application filed August 14, 1907. Serial No. 388,478.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL TIEPOLT, engineer, a subject of the Kin of Prussia, reside ing at No. 44 Wittgensteinstrasse, Cologne- Lindenthal, German Empirephave invented new and useful Improvements in Ladders and Steps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a metal ladder or steps, theparts comprising which, that is, the side pieces or rails and the rungs or treads, for the sake of lightness are made of thinwalled material.

The prior methods of'fastening adopted for such thin walled parts of figured metal bars do not meet the requirements which must be made of a ladder in respect to stability, since the crossing surfaces formed by the side rails and rungs are too small to support the latter. To remedy this drawback I provide the side pieces or rails with means whereby a relatively large supporting surface is presented to the rungs or treads. For

this purpose the side pieces are furnished with one or more longitudinal ribs,.or with bosses, ordeprcssions, which offer a relatively large sn )porting-surface to the thin walled rungs or treads. The rungs are se cured to the side rails by lugs, provided on I the former, being inserted through corresponding slots in the side rails and then turned over.

Several forms of construction of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Fi ure 1 is an elevation and part section of a adder. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of-one of the side. rails. Fig. 3 isa cross section through the ladder. Figs. 1 and 5 are detail views drawn to a larger scale and showing in pers ective respectively a fragment of one of t e side rails and a rung. Fig. 6 is an elevation and part section of a portion of a modified construction of ladder. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of one of the side rails. Fig.

8 is a cross section of the ladder. Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views drawn to a larger scale and showing in perspective respectively a fragment of one of the side rails and a rung. Fig. 11 is a section of aportion of a step constructed-according to my invention, the section being on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a front elevation of the same. Fig. 13 is a section on the line A-'-.A

' of Fig. 11. Fig. 14 is an end elevation and Fig. 15 a plan of one of the treads. Fig. 16 is a section through a portion of a modified construction of ste s. Fig. 17 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 18 is a plan of a fra ment of a tread inserted into one of the si e rails. Fig. 19 is a like View after the tread corner has been turned over. Fig. 20 is a section through another modification of the ladder. Fig. 21 is a side elevation of one of the side rails. Figs. 22 and 23 are similar views of a modification of this ladder. Fig. 2 1 is a horizontal section of a fragment of another modification of the ladder. Figs.

25' and 26 are perspective views of partsof one of the rails and of a rung respectively.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1-5, each side rail a is provided with a central rib b. The rungs c are of channel section and present lugs d, corresponding to slots 6 in the rails a. The ribs 6 of the rails a "are furnished with slots f, corresponding to the thickness of the rungs 0. To secure the rungs to the rails, the former are pressed against the latter in such manner that the ends 7 of the rungs rest upon the ribs 7) of the rails, the lugs Z' projecting through the slots 6, whereupon the lugs are hammered over. In this manner a relatively large supporting surface is presented to the rungs, and great rigidity thus attained, despite the employment of thin walled, light material.

In the metal ladder shown in Figs. 6-10 the side rails a are tubular and the rungs c are of box section. The ribs 6 of the rails a are furnished with two slots f F, corresponding to the cross section of the rungs 0, so that when assembled, the surfaces 9 h of the rung ends rest upon the ribs 6. The lugs (Z of the rungs c are pushed through the slots 0 of the ralls a and are then hammered over in the same manner as with the, ladder illustrated in Figs. 1-5.

Figs. 11-15 show steps constructed according to my invention. The ribs 2' of the side pieces is are provided with slots Z corresponding to the thickness of the treads m.

They are also furnished with slots 'n. which side rails a of which are provided with hollow bosses or elevations 'v, in order to present an ample supporting surface for the rungs c.

In the ladder shown in Figs. 22 and 23 a large supporting-surface for the rungs c is' attained by the rails a being provided with depressions 'w. The rungs may be secured to the rails by meansof lugs and slots in the manner already described.

In Figs. 9A., '25 and- 26 another form of construction of the ladder is shown. To

preventfthe .lugs d being accidentally bent upandfithek rungs o-being pulled out of the and embracing the ribs thereof, substantially as described. 2. A ladder or steps, comprising thin walled slotted metal side pieces, presenting elevated portions and thin walled metal P. rungs receiving and embracing and supported by said elevated portions and presenting lugs fitting into said slots and bent over at the back, substantially as described.

3. A ladder or steps, comprising thin 3 .walled slotted metal side-pieces presenting.

elevated portions, thin walled metal rungs supported by said elevated portions and presenting lugs fitting into said slots and bent over at the back, and a back-plate covering 4 said lugs and embraced by the overturned edges of the side-piece, substantially as described. In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 9th day of July", 1907, in the 45 presence of two subscribing wltnesses.

1 PAUL TIEPOLT. Witnesses:

A IJBERT BRI'iDz, WM. VANDoRN. 

